The Little Things Left Unsaid
by Iaveina
Summary: Jaune couldn't bring himself to face his teammates, couldn't bring himself to push open the door and face the friends he was a disappointment to - the friends who would be better off without him as their leader. That's where Ruby finds him. Friendship. Based on the "Did you lock yourself out again?" line from Episode 13.


**The Little Things Left Unsaid**

**Summary: Jaune couldn't bring himself to face his teammates, couldn't bring himself to push open the door and face the friends he was a disappointment to - the friends who would be better off without him as their leader. That's where Ruby finds him. Friendship. Based on the "Did you lock yourself out again?" line from Episode 13.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful characters from RWBY! **

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He stood in the hallway, shoulders slouched and with one hand outstretched towards the handle of his room's door, ready to go in and face his teammates - his _friends_ - with a cheerful grin, rigidly sticking to the happy-go-lucky persona he projected to the rest of the school even if the constant bullying and harassment by Cardin and his team was getting him down, weighing heavily on his shoulders and making a pit of icy detachment form in the pit of his stomach.

"Jaune?"

The sound of the door behind him opening with a light click - the light from within alighting a strip of the wallpaper beside him in a splash of colour - followed by a light feminine voice didn't startle him. It probably should have, as out of touch as he was, but the rational part of his mind realised that within the part of the school he was, for the most part, amongst friends.

He slowly turned, straightening out of the slouch and plastering a smile onto his face; hoping that Ruby wouldn't notice how forced it was and how it didn't quite meet his eyes. Ruby shuffled forward, closing her door behind her and shutting out the murmurs of her teammates, with a concerned look and Jaune couldn't help the hand that rose to rub the back of his neck nervously.

"Hey Ruby," he greeted, trying to ignore how the concerned look on Ruby's usually cheerful face looked odd, and he immediately felt a pang of sadness from within at having been the person to cause her such worry. He tried harder to make his smile seem more natural, more like him, but the tiredness that ached through his bones only seemed to make it more of a grimace. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing really," she replied, crossing the middle of the hallway to stand in front of him, her arms lightly crossed over the fabric of her light pyjama top. She raised an eyebrow, fixing him with semi-serious silver eyes. "Haven't seen you around much…"

"I've been busy y'know, working on that project with-"

"Cardin," Ruby finished, lacing her fingers together and stretching them out before her. "Yeah, you have been spending a _lot_ of time with him recently."

"Yeah…"

A moment of silence, where Jaune found himself trying to look anywhere other than at Ruby, then… "We're worried about you Jaune."

Jaune's hand didn't move from his neck, the nails on his fingers - albeit short - digging painfully into the soft skin as he fought to show any outward emotion other than ones that would placate his friend. He shook his head with a small smile.

"Don't be, I'm fine," he waved a hand, meant to be a reassuring gesture but only succeeded in making Ruby's eyebrow raise further. "Really!" Her eyes flickered between his face and the wooden door behind him.

"Then why haven't you gone in?"

He swallowed dryly. "I can't find my key." He tried to ignore the heavy weight of his door key in his pocket, and hoped that Ruby wouldn't notice.

Instead, Ruby shot him a sympathetic look and placed a hand lightly onto his arm as she breezed past him to knock lightly on the door. "Just knock silly, they'd be happy to let you in!" She squeezed his arm as Jaune's ears picked up movement from within - Nora's joyful tone, mixed in with Ren's sensible muttering and Pyrrha's soothing voice from just behind the door - and he tensed.

"They're worried about you too," she said quietly with a sincere smile as the door opened, a look of surprise crossing Pyrrha's face as her eyes scanned the two of them. Ruby grinned, pointing enthusiastically at Jaune. "Look who I found wandering around in the hallway!"

Pyrrha's brow creased. "What were yo-"

"He couldn't find his key," Ruby interjected in a conspiratorial whisper, hanging on Jaune's arm. Jaune sighed, wilting slightly under Pyrrha's heavy gaze; a hint of disbelief and disapproval clear in her emerald orbs.

"I see."

Jaune shook out of Ruby's hold and side-stepped past Pyrrha into the light of his room, aware of Ren and Nora's eyes on him. He chuckled, a dry sound even to his own ears, and shrugged. "I won't let it happened again, sorry guys!"

Ruby and Pyrrha exchanged glances before Ruby sighed, waving. "I'll just head back to bed then!" She disappeared as Pyrrha shut their door, and Jaune inwardly groaned.


End file.
